‘Golden Girl’ Betty White inspires donations at Maury County Animal Shelter

Even in death, celebrated actress Betty White is making a difference.

White, known for her roles on the hit television series “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” died peacefully in her sleep on New Year’s Eve.

A passionate animal welfare activist, White would have celebrated her 100th birthday on Jan. 17.

Following her passing, the #BettyWhiteChallenge has swept across social media inspiring fellow animal lovers to support their local shelters across the country, including the Maury County Animal Shelter in Columbia.

Over the past three weeks, the shelter located off Iron Bridge Road, has seen an influx of supplies, with many inspired by the national awareness brought forth by the social media campaign.

More: The #BettyWhiteChallenge: Fans honor late actress on the day she would have turned 100

Instead of financial donations, most supporting the local shelter have instead purchased critical supplies listed on the shelter’s Amazon wish list.

“We are just so grateful,” said Jack Cooper, the shelter’s director. “We can’t provide the excellent level of care at this shelter without the support of our community. There has just been tremendous progress and awareness about animal welfare. People like Betty White helped populate that awareness in the public.”

Members of the surrounding community have purchased toys, leashes, supplements, bowls, blankets, brushes and even office supplies to ensure that the animals and the staff of the shelter have what they need.

More: Betty White Challenge donations reach over $50K for Nashville Humane Association

“We are county-funded so the products are most useful to us,” said Kim Rauffauf, the shelter’s lead volunteer. “Every little bit helps. Don’t get me wrong, we appreciate financial donations, and we are thankful for that. We have had a lot of really generous people. It really helps us out a lot, and this year, we have more animals than we have ever had.”

Spike in animals, adoptions at shelter

The shelter is currently home to 144 cats and 80 dogs waiting to be adopted.

More: 'Hands on' animal shelter director takes facility from worst to first

Cooper said that the total number of animals under the facility’s care have spiked by 31% between 2020 and 2021. This is a total annual increase of about 600 animals under the shelter’s care.

Simultaneously, adoptions have jumped by 52%, representing a greater support for the shelter that goes beyond celebrity influence, Cooper said.

More: Adoptions on the rise at the Maury County Animal Shelter

“It makes my heart feel full,” Cooper said. “I have been doing this for 20 years and have been fighting with hand and feet to fund the shelters that I have worked at. Now, the community cares.”

He said the community’s ongoing support allows the shelter to provide the basics that they need and go “above and beyond,” and provide its animals with more medical and other supplies that can improve the quality of life of the animals.

“It allows us to make our care even better,” Cooper said. “Not only can we provide good care but excellent care.”

More: Betty White's 'Celebration' features her last video message to fans, in theaters for 100th birthday

The added support also enables the shelter to reach out to the greater community to provide support. The shelter offered its services to Waverly, Tennessee after the community was devastated by flooding in August 2021.

“A lot of the more rural communities surrounding us also look to us for support,” Cooper said. “People volunteer and donate their time, money and resources. We have the ability to respond and do things that many other shelters cannot. So when Waverly floods, my people can go out there and save those animals.”

More: Yearwood applauds the Maury County Animal Shelter

Cooper said the shelter also relies on the dedicated support of its volunteers and is always looking for more to help.

“Having a volunteer program allows our animals to become socialized,” Cooper said. “It makes them more adoptable and gets them adopted quicker. All of that makes sure that the people who are trained to take care of these pets can take care of them. That’s what is important.”

The shelter's Amazon wish list can be viewed at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/26I68K9AR0GBG?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwAR32ymKq3PzHJ7Bd0t8fOFTmggRUCItLQ17Ufdll1ipp0IZ1AuAxup7Utkc.

For additional information on volunteering or adopting and animal, call (931) 375-1402.

The shelter is located at 1233 Mapleash Ave., Columbia.

Reach Mike Christen at mchristen@c-dh.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeChristenCDH and on Instagram at @michaelmarco. Please consider supporting his work and that of other Daily Herald journalists by subscribing to the publication.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Betty White inspires donations at Maury County Animal Shelter